cafesimile's Profile

I would absolutely insist on coming home with a pound of Kona; preferably bought directly from a farm on the big island. There's a lot of stuff of questionable quality and origin being sold in the myriad ABC stores (under the "Kona Blend" moniker) in Hawaii so the farms themselves are the most trusted sources. On Maui, there's a little vineyard (upcountry) that does surprisingly good wine. Not sure if you could fly with it or not, and I can't remember the name, but they give free samples and it makes for a nice daytrip if you're going upcountry.Of course, as Babette said, Macadamia nuts are a must!!

I've seen produce (lemons) squeezed and thoroughly inspected by a group of elderly ladies in Italy. No hands were slapped. They are not quite the germaphobes we are and it seemed quite acceptable. My issue was with the suggestion that in Europe, people do not handle produce, or if they do, it's done with much more panache. Rubbish. What is rude in one country remains rude in another. I've seen it on both continents.

"In Europe, you would get your hand slapped right away if you started fondling all the fruit." Why do people act as if European behavior and choices are the yardstick by which everything should be judged?

One of my obsessions is olive oil. All of it!! I truly feel that if given a blind tasting most people wouldn't be able to tell European olive oils from the really good ones from California. Right now California is doing with olive oil what it did with wine in the 70's and 80's. Let your obsession go domestic, Jadore!! You won't be sorry.

Popeye's is a really guilty pleasure of mine that I allow myself every 2 or 3 years. After I eat it, I can almost hear my arteries clogging. I really have to disagree on Cracker Barrel. Recently they stopped using pure maple syrup on their pancakes in favor of "100% Natural syrup", which is some sort of sweet concoction. It was then I withdrew any hope for Cracker Barrel.

I'd like to nominate Chuy's as a chain that is extremely easy to love. I could almost eat Chuy's every night.

I've always been fond of Bariani olive oil from Sacramento, particularly the early green olive harvest. Not for the faint of heart, though. I wouldn't describe their olive oil as either subtle or buttery. It's a bold, robust oil full of olive flavor.

Vanilla Oreos. I like chocolate/ original ones O.K., but when they came out with the blond ones, it was all over for me. Now, I have to just keep walking when I pass them in the store, lest I buy-scarf the package.

Zola. It's my favorite restaurant in Nashville. Chef Paquette, with a pronounded Spanish bent to her cooking, is always creative and her dishes are well executed. Watermark also has wonderful food, but a bit more pricey and the atmosphere is a little stuffy for me. You'll probably get a few recommendations for Cafe Margot before this is all said and done, but I think the quality has fallen off a bit lately, and I was a little disappointed by my last couple of visits.

Unfortunately, it's long been a standard practice that the United States gets the "runt" of the European litter when it comes to olive oil. There are ,however, some very good Californian oils out there- especially right now. . . Bariani comes to mind as they are shipping their "October Harvest" oil. Amazing stuff!! FWIW I heartily endorse Colavita for frying in. . . It's inexpensive and unadulterated if a little long in the tooth. Thanks for the codes, Billy

Anchovies. First time I tried one, the only thing I could think of was the smell of opening a can of 9-lives for my cat when I was a kid. Come to think of it, it matched perfectly the idea of what cat food would taste like also. Then, curiously, I tried a pizza with basil, pecorino ramano and anchovies and my aversion evaporated. Still can't eat the fishies alone, though. They are definitely an accompanying food

It's beginning to sound to me that you know what you want you're just waiting for someone to validate it (re: your last two posts). O.K., get the kitchenAide mixer, the toaster oven and the food processor with one of the lesser quality cookware sets. . . I think it's a good call.

Nicole, I think the key word in your original post is "rewards". I suggest you go ahead and get the All-Clad and reward yourself. I don't think anyone will dispute the quality or durability of All-Clad; bang for the buck where most All-Clad arguments start, and this is where you have a distinct advantage with your insurance rewards. Wow, I wish I had your dilemma. Whatever you choose, enjoy.

Sorry it took me so long. I use a cheesecloth over a mason jar for about 4 hours, any longer than that you really start entering sour cream territory. That's not really a bad thing, though, as wife loves it on her baked potatoe

I like to just strain plain ole Dannon yogurt. It's much less expensive that Fage and I absolutely cannot tell the difference. There are no "fillers" in Dannon either, it's just too thin and "Americanized". Once it's been strained, add honey and or nuts and enjoy!

I must ask why the "stay away from Henckels" statement. A company that's been making professional grade cutlery since the 18th century deserves a little elaboration. I own both Wusthof (classic) and Henckels (4 star) they are both great tools.

I don't know if you make clarified butter or not, but if you do, try using the milk solids portion of the butter to put on your fresh hot corn. It gives it a cheesey, butter taste. Incredible. Fresh grated parmesan has momma slapping potential as well. I love stove popped corn.

I don't know, I put cod and roughy in the plain, white, mild fish category. Catfish has a twangy taste (for lack of a better word) that defies my attempt at classification. If it's fried, and it mostly is, there is a taste in the background, behind the cornmeal coating plucking on a banjo.

I was a bit thrown off by the oil bit as well. My wife and I always get the coq au vin to cook in (chicken broth, white wine, spices) and have enjoyed ourselves and our food every time, if not a little poorer.

This isn't a fansite. Maybe you should evaluate your expectations when opening a thread. I always expect to find people on every side of an issue when reading through a thread. A healthy exchange makes for great ideas. Did you really think that this would be just a bunch of people rephrasing "Bourdain is a twisted genius" sixty times? By the way, I like the guy.

I just always go with colivita (in the tin). I think it's probably the best of the easily accessable brands. Of course I'm sure someone is going to chime in with a recommendation from Trader Joe's / Costco. Those names pop up in just about every thread. I speak from envy as I have neither of those stores near me.